Faqs About Froyo

Frozen yogurt – or popularly dubbed as froyo – are gaining in popularity today. Frozen yogurt is a dessert similar to ice cream, but lower in fat. It is typically made with yogurt, but non-dairy versions also exist. Frozen yogurt may be sweet or sour and may or may not contain the live bacteria cultures present in regular yogurt. Like ice cream, frozen yogurt can be made in nearly any flavor imaginable. Frozen yogurt is often sold as soft serve, but may also be purchased in cartons like ice cream.

Frozen yogurt is made in the same way as ice cream, constantly churned at a very low temperature. In addition to yogurt, most recipes include gelatin, some sort of sweetener, and additional flavors and colors. Fat-free and sugar-free frozen yogurt recipes also exist. Frozen yogurt primarily contains milk fat, yogurt culture, sugar, stabilizers (for consistency) and emulsifiers (for blending). Flavorings---typically fruits and spices---are also included. Frozen yogurt is made much in the same way as ice cream. When it comes to large-scale manufacturing, the first step is to mix the ingredients. The mix is then pasteurized to kill off any bacteria and for preservation. Then, it is homogenized to produce a smoother texture. The mix is then given the yogurt culture, set, cooled and aged.

While frozen yogurt was originally fairly sour, with Dannon producing one of the first commercial frozen yogurt products in the 1970s, the dessert became sweeter through the years. Frozen yogurt shops like TCBY and Penguin's, offering soft serve in a rotating variety of flavors with an offering of wet and dry toppings, led the trend of sweeter frozen yogurts. Frozen yogurt gained in popularity throughout the 1980s and 1990s as a lowfat alternative to ice cream.

In recent years, sour frozen yogurt has seen somewhat of a resurgence. Pinkberry, a frozen yogurt shop founded in Los Angeles in 2005, quickly gained a loyal following in love with its sour, fat-free frozen yogurt topped with fresh fruits. Locations have been added in many Los Angeles neighborhoods and in New York City, and the store has even inspired copycats.

Frozen yogurt has been decried by many to be a pale imitation of the much beloved ice cream. Others laud its dietary virtues and find its characteristics to be the equal of ice cream, or even better. Either way, frozen yogurt---also referred to as "froyo" and "frogurt"---has developed a following, with several chains and retailers opening dealing exclusively in the dessert. Around 100 million gallons of frozen yogurt are sold every year. The treat has also occasioned its own national day, February 6, though another one is usually scheduled during the warmer months.